Crossed Paths
by meltina
Summary: Alone in beautiful Venice, Kilik once again meets up with Seung Mi Na. Complete.
1. Venice

Crossed Paths  
_a Soul Calibur fanfiction by Somenosuke._

  
  
**A/N:** Bad title, huh? ^^; Anyhoo, this fic was inspired by the City of Water stage in Mission Battle and it's a continuation of my first fic, Emerald Earrings (so, for a little background info, I suggest reading that *shameless plugs are wonderful*). 

**Disclaimer:** Namco owns all of these characters, 'cause Lord knows what I'd do if I owned them... 

Part One

No matter how many times he tried, Kilik couldn't think of a city more beautiful than Venice, Italy, the City of Water. Though the water of the lagoon the city resided on was not as crystal clear as that of the Pure Training Grounds', it came very close. Not only that, Venice was full of magnificent architecture, art and wealth. And the people! Never had he came across such friendly and finely dressed folk in one place. 

He almost considered making this his new home but laughed to himself at the impossibility. The customs were new to him, and at times, he could barely afford his meals and lodging, let alone a gorgeous mansion overlooking a lagoon. Besides, he preferred the tranquility of nature and solitude over a bustling city life, much like his Master, the hermit known as the Edge Master. 

Since day one of his 'purific' training with the elderly man of much mystery, Kilik had learned not to fear poverty and loneliness but to instead embrace them. His friend Maxi could not understand or concur to that philosophy. As a flirtatious and carefree pirate, Maxi cherished the company of women---the times he neglected their charms were rare and far in between. Kilik wondered how the dandy was faring since their separation in Sicily. 

Maxi had an agenda of his own and after hearing rumors leading to the whereabouts of the object of his vengeance, the demon-like Astaroth, he had to part from Kilik. He neglected his friend's wishes to assist him and promised the young man that they'd meet again, if Fate had so planned. Alone, Maxi headed further into the Holy Roman Empire. 

Judging from the coquettish ganders and gestures from the numerous young women traipsing about the narrow streets and bridges of the city, Kilik would be his left arm that wherever he was, Maxi was cursing his luck. And Xianghua was praising hers. 

Ever since her meeting with and deciding to join Kilik and Maxi in their journeys in India, Kilik had often found some of Xianghua's reactions to be rather eccentric. Whenever women from the countries they passed through flirted with him, the Chinese girl would often make remarks or her current mood would make a complete turnaround. Maxi would then joke and say that she was jealous, then Xianghua would sputter all sorts of insults towards him. 

Kilik remembered their last days together in Rhodes, and that argument... 

[FLASHBACK]  
_"What's the matter with you, Xianghua? Why were you so rude and mean to her?" he asked as they headed back to their inn from the completed Gypsy entertainment exhibition._

_"ME? Mean to HER?" The Chinese girl's coffee browns enlarged with incredulity. "In case you didn't notice, SHE attacked ME, and accused me of stealing from her!"_

_"Maybe if you didn't give her a REASON to accuse you, she wouldn't have!" Kilik argued, recalling xianghua's dispute with the long-haired Asian girl at the bazaar earlier that day._

_Xianghua's eyes then narrowed. "Why are you defending her, Kilik?"_

_He didn't answer her which only fueled her anger. "I can't believe you," she sputtered, "you complain about Maxi and I neglecting the purpose of our journey, yet here you are, doing just the same!"_

_"You wouldn't understand," Kilik sighed out, exasperated with debating. "So just...go on. Leave me alone."_  
[END OF FLASHBACK] 

Kilik cursed himself for saying those words to the sensitive Xianghua and had apologized to her. A few days later, Xianghua mentioned that the Chinese Opera Troupe she had travelled with earlier on in her own journey were awaiting her in Germany. Though she assured Kilik and Maxi that they would meet again, Kilik couldn't help but feel responsible for her departure. 

Exhaling audibly, Kilik stretched his lean form over the raised boundary of a bridge that spanned the canals of the city. "This search is getting me nowhere. What am I supposed to do?" he asked his reflection on the cool surface of the water, half-expecting it to reply. _I was doing a whole lot better with those two..._

Before Kilik could mope any longer, something or someone stumbled into his back. Startled, he turned about face to apologize and check the condition of the clumsy stranger. 

His eyes grew wide. 

Fallen before him was a familiar face. A very beautiful face. The face of the girl Xianghua had bumped heads with back at Rhodes. 

* * * 

**A/N:** Sorry if this may have seemed too short. I'm trying to NOT cram up too much stuff into one chapter (it's bad karma, I hear). As always, please read and review! 


	2. Escape!

Crossed Paths  
_a Soul Calibur fanfiction by Somenosuke._

  
  
**A/N:** Bad title, huh? ^^; Anyhoo, this fic was inspired by the City of Water stage in Mission Battle and it's a continuation of my first fic, Emerald Earrings (so, for a little background info, I suggest reading that *shameless plugs are wonderful*). 

**Disclaimer:** Namco owns all of these characters, 'cause Lord knows what I'd do if I owned them... 

Part Two

"Y-you... Are you okay?" Kilik managed to ask the fallen girl after getting over his initial surprise and extending his hand to help her up. 

She pulled herself to her feet but did not respond. She was out of breath, her face flushed from what appeared to be a very long distance of running. Her zanbatou was also in her hands. _Something has to be up_, Kilik presumed. "What's wrong?" 

"No time...!" The girl shoved her way passed him, sprinting as fast as she could to the other side of the bridge. Her attempt failed, as a heavily armed guard, one of the locals, appeared at the end, blocking the girl's escape. He drew his sword and she instinctively stepped away. As Kilik observed the situation, curiously and quietly, he grew confused. What could this girl have done to have herself pursued by guards? 

Deciding it best to interfere, Kilik stepped forward to negotiate with the guard, to prevent any mishaps. "Hey. What's the---" his sentence was cut off by the clanging armor and the elephant-like footsteps of yet another guard appearing at the opposite side of the bridge. He too had his sword drawn. 

"Stop right there!" he shouted at them. "Do you think you can escape!?" 

Kilik blinked, dumbfounded as the guard eyed him and the beautiful stranger. "What? I don't have anything to do with this! You have me mista--" he was interrupted yet again. 

"Silence!" The Italian guard accepted no argument, it seemed. He and his cohort began to edge towards the suspected criminals in the center of the bridge. 

_Arrested. For being at the wrong place at the wrong time_, Kilik muttered in his thoughts. _Where's Maxi when you need him to talk you out of a situation!?_

Meanwhile, the girl was painstakingly stepping backwards until the base of her spine touched Kilik's. Her weapon was raised and ready as she whispered to him: "On the count of three, I want you to grab my arm and swing me into the guard walking towards you. It'll distract the one coming towards me." 

"What? Why?" 

"You'll see if you just do it." 

The guards on both sides were approaching them and reaching. Closer. 

"One." 

And closer. 

"Two..." 

_This better be a good idea_, Kilik thought with dread about the consequences of the plan should it fail. His free hand blindly and slyly reached for the girl's arm. 

"Three!" 

Without a moment's hesitation, Kilik's fingers coiled about the girl's forearm, and with a deft turn and whip, he sent her into a powerful sprint towards the guard. Both Kilik and the guard that had approached the girl were too stunned to move, their jaws falling agape at what seemed to occur in a dramatic, slow motion. 

The girl had delved the bladed tip of her zanbatou into the ground, using that and both of her hands as leverage to break into a cartwheel, her booted feet coming down onto her pursuer's skull in blinding-quick succession. The guard staggered only one step before keeling over. Unconscious. 

Kilik watched her with sheer incredulity. "Yin Rising," he whispered at the familiar Ling Sheng Su technique. That was _his_ technique, taught to him by the Edge Master. How did this girl know it? 

He remained as still as a stag during hunting season. Too still to even realize that behind him, the other guard was plotting to clout him with the flat side of his blade. 

"Hey! Behind you!" the girl yelled, snapping Kilik out of his daze. He quickly turned, just in time to defend himself from the sword with the indestructible Kali-Yuga rod. If he had reacted a mere second later than he did, he would have undoubtedly been rendered unconscious. 

But if there was anything Kilik could brag about ,should he ever decide to play the role of one with the confidence of his friend Maxi, it would have to be his catlike speed and agility. It had stunned the Italian guard, too, as he struggled to get his sword out of its lock with Kilik's weapon. 

"Sorry. But," Kilik mused, "like I said, you got the wrong person." And with only that as his warning, Kilik used his own weight to violently send his assailant staggering back. Not one to give his opponents a chance to recover and rethink their strategy, Kilik lowered one end of the Kali-Yuga towards the ground between the guard's legs. With a wily grin, and a quick, upwards swing of the Kali-Yuga into the man's family jewels, Kilik stepped back to see the guard fall to his face. 

"He won't be getting up from that anytime soon," he commented, tapping his rod against his shoulder. 

"Hey," the girl said, catching his attention. "That was Earth Fang or Phoenix Claw, wasn't it?" she asked in reference to the two-named technique. 

Kilik could only nod to her. 

"So then you know--" she paused, looking over his shoulder at something very unpleasant to her eyes. "Uh oh..." 

Kilik turned his head at an angle, spotting a horde over about five similarly armored men heading their way, determination present on each of their faces. He looked back and saw the same thing on the opposite end of the bridge. "Wonderful. Just wonderful." 

Though he was a very skilled young master of Ling Sheng Su Style Rod, there was no way Kilik could take down nearly a dozen guards, with or without the girl's help. 

"They're not getting me. I'm innocent," the girl announced as she climbed onto the elevated edge of the bridge. "You comin'?" she turned, asking Kilik. 

"You're going to jump!?" 

"Better than getting caught!" 

"Good point." Kilik climbed up next to her and gazed down at the pellucid water not so far below them. He figured the worst thing that could happen was having to swim a rather long distance, which he didn't mind. But much to his relief, a gondola void of any passengers just happened to be passing under the bridge. _Someone up above loves me!_

He nodded to the girl, and she nodded in return. 

And they both took a possible leap of faith off the bridge. Lady Luck was definitely on their side that day, for they landed in the gondola with nary a fracture or bruise. Naturally, the operator of the boat was startled; he wasn't used to passengers just dropping in on him. "What the..." 

"Just get us away from the guards!" the girl ordered the man, who instantly complied. 

Atop the bridge, the guards cursed themselves and their luck as they could do nothing but watch the two young and innocent warriors escape. The girl smiled devilishly and taunted the guards with a raise of her middle finger [1]. It was all Kilik could do not to laugh.  
  
  
  
A little over an hour later, the gondola operator pulled into a small dock where other similar boats were tied to a bit on the nearest road to keep them from drifting away. 

"Sorry, but you're going to have to get off here, lovebirds," he informed them, climbing out of the boat. "My workday is over." 

"'Lovebirds'!?" the girl exclaimed. 

"Uh," Kilik interrupted before the girl could explode with fury, "how much?" 

"Considering the trouble you just put me in," the middle-aged man looked over to the girl climbing onto the narrow sidewalk with help from the young, tawny-haired man accompanying her. He eyed her bare legs, her neckline, and her bust, and smiled a lecherous smile at his thoughts. "Free if you give me one night with her." 

"What!?" both Kilik and the girl exclaimed. 

"Or, we can settle for 1000 lire." 

"What!?" they both exclaimed again. 

"Look, if you don't pay up, I'm gonna take you both in." The gondola operator held up a thin, silver whistle. "One toot of this and the guards will come here like bees to honey." 

"And then they'll come to get you," a male voice rang from somewhere behind a nearby corner. 

"What!? Who's there!? Come on out, you punk!" the man challenged with a shaking fist. He soon regretted saying those words as out stepped a young man, donned in heavier armor than that of the local guards. Though he wasn't exactly tall, the bulky dark armor he wore gave those who looked his way the appearance of a man that could lift buildings with the same ease one would take in lifting a sheet of paper. And the weapon he held in both hands... It was the largest sword Kilik had ever seen. It looked to weight twice as much as the blond young man, yet he held it with ease. With the shining armor and massive sword, the young man could very well pass of as some sort of knight. 

"You're..." the man said, his words barely escaping his throat. 

"Now, how would the Council take you? I'm sure you'll get several punished for extortion... Demanding a young woman's maidenhead and then a ridiculous price for assisting them goes against the laws, hm? And haven't you heard of the Good Samaritan?" 

The middle-aged man forced a very heart laugh. "Oh, come on! You know I was just playing with them! Them being foreigners and all..." 

The young man's handsome face registered no emotion as he stepped a little closer to them. "So, you want me, a foreigner myself, to tell the Council of your toying with visitors to this country?" he asked. 

"No!" 

"Let them go," the young man ordered. 

"But they--" 

"They're _innocent_. I witnessed everything. The real culprit was recently apprehended," the light-skinned lad interrupted, "so let them go." 

The older man seemed reluctant to let Kilik and the maiden go without getting some form of payment for his "kind deeds". "Come on! Don't I get _anything_?" 

"You can get to walk as a freeman. It's not like I don't know of your other exploits, Lucio." 

The man said no more, not expecting for his name nor his personal life to be known by another. Quietly gathering his few belongings, he left out into the city, post haste. 

With the man gone, the blond lad turned to the two, who had been observing their exchange quietly. "A shame," he sighed in reference to Lucio. "You two look tired and hungry. Please follow me." 

"All right!" Aside from being a tactful fighter, Kilik was also not one to pass up a free meal. Especially an Italian one. He had loved the nation's food since his arrival. He gingerly stepped behind the departing gentleman. But the girl had stayed behind. 

The young men stopped to face her. "Are you coming?" they asked in unison. 

"You're..." she couldn't manage to finish her sentence. She _knew _this young man. "You're Siegfried Schtauffen, aren't you?" 

* * * 

[1] -- I got this little quirky action from a scene in Titanic (when Rose and Jack escape from that old guy). I don't know. I just had this urge to include it, even if it's rather OOC. ^_^ 

**A/N:** Whew, that seemed to take forever! So, what do you think of it? Hope you like it! Oh, for the record, I am _not _going to involve the three into some sort of love triangle. =P Please read and review! 


	3. Labor

Crossed Paths -- Part Three

Crossed Paths  
_a Soul Calibur fanfic by Somenosuke._

**Disclaimer:** All characters here are the respectful properties of Namco (well, except Lola, but she isn't important ^_^). Man, if I owned them, do you think I'd be writing fanfics!? 

**A/N: **Thoughts are in italics. But so are stressed words. I think you can figure which is which when reading the story.. 

Part Three

"Right you are, Seung Mi Na," the platinum haired lad said, flashing her his pearly whites. 

"Uh... You know this guy?" Kilik asked her, pointing his thumb at the one named Siegfried standing beside him. 

Mi Na nodded, her copper colored eyes narrowing. "I met him three years ago," she replied. "He arrested me. When I was in Germany." 

"You forget that I had no choice. Stealing is a crime. You stole a weapon from the castle, and thus, you were thrown in jail." [1] 

"But if you had only let me go, Hwang wouldn't have found me and dragged me back home." Mi Na's tiny fists clenched, a mere representation of the fury that was beginning to boil within her. "I wasn't done with my search and you _knew_ that!" 

"A thousand pardons, m'lady," Siegfried droned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"Shut up," Mi Na growled. 

Kilik watched their exchange with silent curiosity. It seemed that the more he stuck around Mi Na, the more questions he had to ask her. Who is this Hwang? Why was a young Asian girl like her in Europe anyway? Who is this Siegfried and how does she know him? And what was she searching for? The yearning to know the answers to his many inquiries intrigued him... 

"Hey, hey," he said, calmly, "what good is it to argue now? Let's let bygones be bygones." Then he turned to Mi Na, a polite grin etched across his lips. "You're probably tired from that nonstop running and as hungry as I am, eh?" If he were there, Maxi would have been proud to hear Kilik's smooth persuasion. 

Mi Na looked off to the side. Though she was irritated by the jarring memories Siegfried's presence provided, Kilik was right. She hadn't eaten in what felt to be days. And a good rest from all this travelling was in order. "Fine," she said, "I'll go. But if Hwang is waiting for us at wherever you're taking us, I swear Siegfried, I'm going to kick your---" 

She was interrupted by Kilik roughly patting her shoulder. "That's the spirit, Mi Na!" 

Turning on the ball of his foot, Siegfried began to depart. "Nightfall is almost here. Let's go." 

  
  
Kilik and Mi Na were led to a stone-walled edifice not too far from where they had ran into Siegfried Schtauffen. Inside, a handful of strangers seated about an unlit fireplace, discussing things quietly amongst themselves. They glanced to the newcomers, nodded in greeting, and returned to their going-ons. 

"_This_ is an inn?" Kilik asked the blond man as they entered. Several vacant tables lined the room and stairs led to the second deck. The entire place looked too empty yet too cozy to be like any of the inns he had spent many a night in. 

"You can say that. The Council provided this place as lodging for mercenaries in return for our services," Siegfried explained. "With the war going on, things have been quite undermanned in terms of manual labor. I figured you two might lend a helping hand for a few days..." 

"Oh, so...We're going to do random chores while the rest of you go out and get your hands dirty?" Kilik asked. 

"Something like that." Siegfried began making his way over to a room in the back, Mi Na and Kilik trailing behind. "You'll get paid whenever you decide to leave." 

"Well, I'm game." 

"So, where are all the girls?" Mi Na asked, taking a look around and noticing no other females. 

"There are no girls here." 

"Are you serious?" 

"Yes." 

Mi Na groaned. 

"Don't worry though," the German said with a bit of a grin, "you will be treated fairly." 

"We'll see." Mi Na folded her arms. 

"Lola!" Siegfried called out towards the kitchen, "when will dinner be ready?" 

A pretty red-haired young woman poked her head out from the kitchen in the aft area of the room. She smiled at Siegfried and his two new guests. "Give me an hour." 

"Fine; just remember we have two new mouths to feed." 

Lola nodded and back into the kitchen she went. 

Meanwhile, Mi Na looked on with an incredulous gaze, her eyebrows furrowing. "I thought you said I was the only girl here, Siegfried?" She looked to him for an explanation. 

"You are, Mi Na," Siegfried replied as he led them up the creaky stairs, "Lola is a _woman_; you are a _girl._" He and even Kilik laughed as Mi Na swung her fists at him. 

*** 

[1] -- This was loosely based on her Edge Master Mode Quest in Germany... 

**A/N: **Ugh, I know, the chapter was listless. I had to cut typing it short because of some personal matters... Sorry about the length, too. Well, I won't make any promises, but the next chapter should be more interesting... If not, you're free to rub honey over my butt and sit me on an ant-hill. 


	4. Under The Stars

Crossed Paths -- Part Four

Crossed Paths  
_a Soul Calibur fanfic by Somenosuke._

**Disclaimer:** All characters here are the respectful properties of Namco (well, except Lola, but she isn't important ^_^). Man, if I owned them, do you think I'd be writing fanfics!? 

**A/N: **Thoughts are in italics. But so are stressed words. I think you can figure which is which when reading the story.. 

Part Four  
  


There was never a time that Kilik ate such a good meal as Lola's. He still had the taste of the hearty bread and pasta in his mouth. And on top of that, Siegfried had arranged for Kilik to have his own room, complete with a comfortable Western-style bed. The German had recommended Kilik take a nice, long snooze, but he was far too awake for that. And it was too humid. 

Plus, he wanted to converse with Mi Na. 

Climbing out of bed, he creeped out of the room and headed next door to Mi Na's. Before he announced his arrival by knocking on the door, he planned out his introduction in his mind: "_Hey Mina_," he'd say, "_I wanted to ask you a bunch of questions. Please answer me._" 

_Nah, too wimpy, _he thought. 

"_Hey! Mi Na! Let's talk!_" 

_Too forward and impolite for a lady..._

_"Hey Mi Na, can we talk for a few?"_

_That could work..._

With newfound confidence, Kilik stepped forward towards the door. His knuckles rapped softly against the frame. 

No response. 

He shrugged and tried again. 

Still no response. 

_That's strange,_ he thought. He knocked again and waited a few moments, this time. 

"What are you doing?" Mi Na's dulcet voice asked from somewhere behind him, nearly making him leap out of his flesh. Kilik turned to see her, standing not too far from him with pieces of cake left over from dinner. And he tried not to laugh at her chosen attire: a lengthy white night gown with sleeves, tacky flower decor, and ruffles. 

"What are you wearing?" he snickered his inquiry. 

"It's something Lola let me borrow." Mi Na sank her teeth down on some more cake. "Why are you here?" 

"I came to get you," Kilik replied, he naivete trailing not too far behind his seemingly casual voice. 

"For...?" 

"To talk." 

Mi Na's slender eyebrows furrowed. "Okay...but can we talk outside? It's kinda stuffy indoors." 

"Sure." 

  
Outside, the streets of Venice were rather peaceful and deserted, save for late-hour vendors closing up shop, or young and old alike strolling outdoors to escape the heat that lingered indiscriminately inside their homes. The evening darkness wasn't as disabling as it had been in other parts of the world. Several street lanterns remained lit all through the night; and the moon and stars shining onto the canals' surfaces from up above gave anyone more than enough illumination. A cool summer breeze blew every now and then, setting a relaxed mood for the young travellers. 

"Wow. I'd love to stay out here," Mi Na said breathlessly as she sat on the cool, granite steps of the lodge. 

"It _is_ nice," Kilik stated while glancing up at the accumulation of stars. 

"So," Mi Na began, glancing to him and already getting down to business, "what did you wish to talk about...?" 

"Uh.. Well, I just wanted to talk to you, I guess." Kilik shrugged and lifted his foot onto one of the steps. "I mean, I want to know more about you. If you don't want to let me know, then that's okay." 

Mi Na shook her head. "It's okay. I haven't shared a conversation with anyone in months." 

"Why is that?" 

"You wouldn't understand." 

"Oh, just try me," Kilik challenged, grinning. 

"Fine, but you'll have to promise me two things." Mi Na held up two fingers for emphasis. 

"Sure. Go 'head." 

"One," Mi Na said, "you won't tell anyone what I tell you. And two, you have to tell me about yourself in return. Is that a deal?" she extended her hand towards him. 

"Deal." Smiling, Kilik took Mi Na's smaller hand into his own and shook it gently. 

Glancing back up at the blanket of shining heavenly bodies above them, Mi Na began her tale, and Kilik intently listened. "First off, the reason I'm in Europe is because I am searching for something. The Sword of Salvation... It's my second time searching for it. For my people of Korea..." 

Kilik nodded, recalling something of that Salvation Sword nature from the Edge Master. Soul Calibur [1], is what he called it. He motioned for her to continue. 

"My father---he's a strict man. I'm his only daughter and though I am only nineteen, he treats me like a child and denies me fair treatment and participation in the Coastal Defense Force because I'm female! 

"So, when I was sixteen, I ran away from home in search of the rumored Sword that can save Korea, in our time of war. I figured if I could find it on my own, father, and his students, would be forced to recognize my strength. But three years ago, Hwang found me in Germany and brought me back home." 

"Who is Hwang?" The desire to ask that itched Kilik like a mosquito bite. 

"He's," Mi Na lowered her gaze away from the stars. "He's my father's proclaimed best student." 

"Oh, I see," Kilik nodded, satisfied with that vague answer. He assumed Mi Na and this Hwang might've had a history together, and that it was none of his business to invade her privacy more than he already had. "You wanted to prove everyone wrong; am I right?" 

"Yeah," Mi Na nodded, "but if Siegfried hadn't turn me over to Hwang, I probably would have found it. Instead, when I got home, this idiot son of the Kim family proposed to me after Father gave me strict and rigorous training as punishment." 

Kilik blinked his widened, innocent hazel eyes. "Were you two lovers?" 

"No way!" 

Kilik knew next to nothing about the subject of love, aside from stories he had heard during his travels. Most of what he'd learned was from Maxi, and he wasn't exactly the best of teachers. There were times that the pirate made sense, though, when he'd state philosophies, such as only lovers get married and that arranged or spontaneous marriages were a thing of the past. It made Kilik even more confused to even think why anyone would want to spend the rest of their life with someone they barely knew. "So why would he propose to you, then?" 

"Because my father believes that an heir to his martial arts school is needed. To him, I'm like an advertisement for anyone wanting to get married and carry on his school. He even tried setting me up with Hwang!" Mi Na made a face at the mere thought. 

"So what happened?" Kilik asked. 

"Simple. I ran away from home again. Only this time, no one's taking me back home." 

Kilik's lips formed into a smile. "So that's why you freaked when you saw me for the first time back at Rhodes, huh?" [2] 

"Yeah," Mi Na giggled, picking lint off her nightgown, "I thought Father sent you to get me." 

"Drat." Kilik snapped his finger. 

"What?" 

"I thought you were captivated by my looks." 

"Yeah," Mi Na laughed, rolling her eyes, "they were so frightening and good, I just _had _to run away." 

Kilik laughed along with her until a realization washed over him like a squall. Here he was, a boy so coy and so ignorant in so many ways of the world,_ flirting_ with this girl, who was nothing like the females he had ever met. It made him flush to just think about it. 

"So," he coughed uncomfortably into his fist, "is that the end of your tale?" 

"And you're not going to tell me about how you, a Korean girl, know techniques mastered in the Ling Sheng Su Temple?" Kilik teased. 

"It's kind of embarrassing." 

"Nothing can be too embarrassing." 

The fingers of Mi Na's hands interlocked and were relaxed against her right knee. "Let's just say that I lost to someone and a witness of the fight, a man named Kong, taught me the basics after I bugged him to death about it..." 

Kong. Kilik had overhead the elders of the temple speak of the name. He never had a face or identity to match it, though. 

Deciding Mi Na had revealed enough about herself, Kilik stood upright from his rather slouched position. He violently shook his leg out, and it appeared to Mi Na that he was having some sort of seizure. "Are you okay?" she asked him, alarmed. 

"Just fine--these Western paja-what-is-it-yami's are very uncomfortable, though..." 

"Pajamas," Mi Na corrected him. 

"Yeah. That." After fixing himself, Kilik looked to a snickering Mi Na. She was dressed like the domesticated wives she loathed yet, she was laughing heartily in front of him. _At least she's comfortable around me. Makes it easier._

"Ready to hear my story?" 

"Always ready." 

"You sure? It's kinda long..." 

"Psshaw," Mi Na dismissed Kilik's latter statement with a wave of both hands, "I can pull an all nighter! Hearing your story won't make a difference." 

"You've been warned." And so, Kilik grinned and proceeded to tell her his story. 

  
  
  
The tale of how he grew up in the Ling Sheng Su Temple, was awarded the Kali-Yuga and given the Dvapara-Yuga by his passed sworn sister Xianglian was longer than Kilik had imagined. He didn't even know how long he was taking to tell only part of his tale---he was too caught up in it, perhaps. But somewhere in between the story of his departure from the temple to train with the Edge Master, Mi Na had drifted off to sleep, contrary to her earlier words. 

With lengthy russet colored strands of hair brushing against her cheek, and the easy rise and fall of her soft breathing, Kilik deemed it blasphemy to even think of waking her. She looked too peaceful. 

_Told you so, Mi Na,_ Kilik mused to himself. He bent his figure over and draped one arm across her slender back and the other across the back of her knees. Slow and with gentle movements, he hoisted her light-weight body, cradling her. He didn't move for a while. Instead, he wallowed, simply staring intently at the sleeping beauty in his arms. Several wisps of her hair had fallen into her face and he brushed them aside with his fingers. With the hairs out of the way, he noticed the sparkling Emerald earrings she had bought when they first met. 

You're too much for words." He smiled to himself and carried her back into the lodge. 

* * * 

[1] -- I know, I know, I know. The Sword of Salvation is _Soul Edge_, according to the people of Korea, in Soul Calibur/Edge/Blade. But Kilik, as far as I know, doesn't know that, and so, he _assumed_ Mi Na spoke of Soul Calibur, which is technically the Sword of Salvation whereas Soul Edge is an evil hack-knife! =B 

[2] -- Read Emerald Earrings. *cheesy shameless plug* 

**A/N: **Whoo, that was lengthy. So what do you think of this chapter? Better than the last one, I hope. I know, the story is just dragging along..but it'll end within two or so chapters. 


	5. Girl Talk

Crossed Paths  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters here except the unimportant Lola. Namco owns   
the cool and important ones…  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
  
Seung Mi Na woke up to the sound of soft music. At first, she panicked, almost forgetting where she   
was; but after gazing out of the window and spotting the beautiful canals and buildings of Venice, she   
breathed out in relief, remembering her surroundings. After washing up and preening herself, she   
dressed and then followed the tunes to the first deck of the lodge.  
  
In the main room, two of the four male mercenaries were seated, one of them playing what appeared   
to be an ocarina and the other listening intently. An aproned Lola was nearby, sweeping the hardwood   
floors with a corn broom, humming softly, and pretty much looking like she was enjoying herself. It   
made Mi Na's stomach churn with aggravation to realize that even though Lola was one of the   
Council's hired mercenaries, she was still required to cook and clean because she was female; it made   
her even more infuriated to know that Lola took pleasure in it. Oppression. How Mi Na hated it.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Miss Mi Na!" Lola greeted her. "Breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen. It's   
oatmeal and still rather warm."  
  
"Thank you," Mi Na politely said. She glanced about, noting that the only two people she somewhat   
knew where missing. "Where are Siegfried and Kilik?"  
  
"They went out early this morning to spar and get firewood. They should be back soon."  
  
And they went without me? Mi Na then excused herself and headed into the kitchen for her breakfast.   
Several minutes after the Korean girl had adjusted to the taste of the oatmeal, Lola had snuck into the   
kitchen, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. She slipped into the chair opposite Mi Na's.  
  
"So," she said.  
  
"'So'?" Mi Na blinked at Lola who appeared to expect a revelation or something of the sort.  
  
"How did you get to meet Siegfried?"  
  
"Oh," Mi Na dropped the spoon into the lumpy, cream colored oatmeal. "I met him three years ago in   
Germany." She didn't delve into details with the redhead as to why she was in Germany at the age of   
sixteen.  
  
"Did you two….?"  
  
"No!" Mi Na nearly shouted. "Er," she flushed and calmed herself, replying to the Italian woman with a   
softer tone of voice, "no. We weren't like that. At all."  
  
"Oh. Hm," Lola leaned back in the creaky chair, folding her hands behind her head. How unlady like.   
"Was he the same as he is now three years ago? I mean, I've only known him for about a few months   
since he came here looking for a way to earn money to travel East, and he's been the same the entire   
time: distant and serious. And he looks so pensive and troubled sometimes…"  
  
One of Mi Na's eyebrows arched. She remembered Siegfried as being exactly how Lola had described   
him to be. Only now, he was more mature than the impetuous and confident boy she had last seen   
him as. He was a lot more quiet, too. "Um, he's always been that way," she replied, taking to swirling   
her spoon in the oatmeal. "I don't know exactly why. It's probably something he wants no one to   
know of."  
  
"You may be right. But it'd be nice to know what is troubling him so I can help him, y'know?"  
  
"I understand." Mi Na nodded.  
  
"And what about you and Kilik?"  
  
Mi Na's eyeballs almost leaped out of their sockets. "What do you mean 'what about me and Kilik'? I   
barely know him," she protested softly, trying to overlook Lola's presumptions about a relationship   
between herself and Kilik. "We're not involved."  
  
"Oh?" Lola grinned. "Hm. That may be so, but he likes you. I can tell."  
  
"Say what?" The concept sounded so surreal, Mi Na almost snickered her cute little heart out.  
  
"I'm serious!" The Italian woman leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table and resting her   
chin on her palms. "This morning, before he left with Siegfried, he was asking about you and insisted   
on inviting you along with them. But Siegfried recommended otherwise."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mmhm," Lola said with a nod, her grin never fading. "He's quite a catch, too," she added.  
  
"If you say so." Mi Na shrugged and lowered her eyes to the reflective surface of the spoon resting in   
the bowl.  
  
"What? Don't you think he's attractive?"  
  
Luckily, for Mi Na anyway, she didn't get the opportunity to answer such an embarassing inquiry.   
Siegfried and Kilik, more than likely sweaty and exhausted from their outdoor labors, made a loud   
entrance. Lola sprang to her feet and assumed the role of the prissy girl once more before they could   
make it into the kitchen.  
  
Siegfried, donned in a simple white shirt and black pants entered first, wiping the beads of sweat off   
his brow with a cloth. He offered the females a nod and a simple greeting. "Lola, the stuff's out front.   
Jon and Leo are moving it for you."  
  
And Kilik stepped in after the German, glistening from head to toe with a luster of sweat. His fair skin   
had taken a bronze tone after working so hard and shirtless underneath the unforgiving sun. No one   
noticed his current physique more than Mi Na who blushed and turned away at the mere sight.  
  
Kilik saw Mi Na and immediately greeted her with a smile. "Good morning Mi Na." She turned to face   
him slowly. "Did you sleep well?" he asked her, oblivious to her evident blush, Lola's amused grin, and   
Siegfried's furrowed blonde eyebrows.  
  
"Yes…I did."   
  
"That's good. It means you're not tired," Siegfried commented for Kilik. "Mi Na, I need you to do   
something for me. Do you think you're up for it?"  
  
Always one to accept a challenge, Mi Na nodded enthusiastically, thrilled with the idea of working   
equally amongst men. "Yes!"  
  
"Good," Siegfried cracked a grin. "I need you to go to La Plaza Destenra for these." He handed her a   
white sheet of paper.  
  
Mi Na read over the paper. And frowned at the scribbled words across it. It was a list. A grocery list.   
She looked at Siegfried, in disbelief. "Sorry about the short notice," he said calmly, just as though she   
was perfectly fine with her errand, "but Lola can't make it on her swollen ankle."  
  
"Why do you need these? I thought you were mercenaries. Not a bunch of chefs," Mi Na snapped.  
  
"We need to eat."  
  
Growling under her breath, Mi Na muttered a "fine" to Siegfried. He, in return, muttered a "thank you"   
to her and left without another word.  
  
"Um," Kilik began, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that grew after the German's departure.   
"I can go with you, if you want," he offered to Mi Na, noticing her look of resentment.  
  
"Why? You don't think I can do this?"  
  
"No. It's not that," Kilik said, "I just want to help."  
  
"Fine…"  
  
He smiled at her and deftly headed into the bathing areas located in the back of the lodge.  
  
Lola, who had been quiet the entire time, mused and grinned at Mi Na. "Like I said: I think he likes   
you."  
  
  
  
  
"You look like some housewife," Kilik teased Mi Na's choice of attire, trying to liven the mood on the   
way to La Plaza Destenra.  
  
"Did you want to come to help me or make fun of me?" a very unhappy Mi Na grumbled.  
  
"Sorry, just trying to lift your spirits…" But you do look like one. Mi Na was dressed in a long white   
spring dress. She would have preferred to wear her own trademarked clothes but Lola mentioned they   
were dirty and needed to be washed; she wouldn't have let Mi Na out of the lodge in it, come Hell or   
high water. In the meantime, Mi Na had to suffer with dresses that probably belonged to someone's   
grandmother.  
  
"Eh, I should be the one apologizing," she murmured as they turned a corner. "I'm just upset."  
  
"Abo~ut?"  
  
"It's like everywhere I go, I'm either treated like a child or a domesticated wife or things along that   
line. I can't seem to escape that no matter how many times I try."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to say that you will never escape it—otherwise, I'll be lying. But," Kilik offered, "I   
will agree with you when you say it's unfair. It bothers even me to see that women are expected to do   
only certain jobs when they are capable of doing the same things as us males."  
  
Mi Na glanced at Kilik walking beside her, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his outlandish burgundy   
pants, innocently looking at the denizens and landmarks of the gorgeous city. "You know," she said,   
catching his attention after some time of silence, "I've never met anyone quite like you, Kilik. You   
seem to understand and treat everyone fairly."  
  
Smirking at that subtle compliment, Kilik shrugged, modestly. "Guess it was the way I was raised?"   
  
"You were raised well then."  
  
Arriving at the market, Kilik and Mi Na went on a scavenger hunt for the grains, produce, and fresh   
fish Siegfried required. As they went around the spacious plaza together, they talked of everything and   
anything that came to mind. Kilik even found himself telling her about Xianghua.  
  
"Oh, I remember her," Mi Na muttered as they left La Plaza Destenra with baskets full to the brim in   
their hands.  
  
"Yeah," Kilik said with a bit of a chuckle, "she can be quite unforgettable."  
  
"So where is she now?"  
  
"I believe she's in Germany," he replied with a sigh. "She said she had to meet up with some members   
of her opera troupe there, but I really think she wanted to get away from me…"  
  
"Why would she want to do that?"   
  
"We had an argument…"  
  
"What did you two argue about? If you don't mind me asking…"  
  
"She's… I don't know," frustrated at trying to find the right words to say, Kilik mussed his hair with a   
scratch of his fingers along his scalp. "We had an argument before she left. I think she was upset at   
me for defending you during that earrings thing…" [Read Emerald Earrings – ed.]  
  
Mi Na almost stopped in her tracks, flabbergasted and silenced. Months ago, when she and Xianghua   
had a rough tete-a-tete, she didn't even know Kilik; the only thing she knew was his name. Yet, he   
defended her over his friend? She didn't know exactly how to respond to that. "You defended me?"  
  
Suddenly shy, Kilik didn't answer her, so she prodded on. "Why?"  
  
The young man shrugged, attempting to seem nonchalant about the situation. "She was saying some   
pretty mean things and I thought it was unfair that you weren't there to defend yourself."  
  
"Oh…"  
  
Things grew hushed between them for the rest of their walk back to the mercenary 'barracks'.   
However, it was broken by Lola, who greeted the two at the door. "Ah, so there you are! I was   
beginning to think you two ran off and eloped!" She winked at them.  
  
"What does 'elope' mean?" Kilik asked out loud. Oh, to be so ignorant and innocent…  
  
Lola giggled and helped bring in the baskets. Mi Na, however, didn't find Lola's assinuation very funny,   
if at all. She hated the subject of marriage; it brought back memories of home. The home she didn't   
want to remember until her journey was over. "Very funny," she said dryly, following the redhead   
inside.  
  
Neither of the females made the attempt to answer Kilik's inquiry.  
  
  
  
  
****  
  
A/N: Whoo boy. That took a while to get done. If you were awaiting this chapter, sorry about the   
length it took to get uploaded, but I had to move and find a computer and all that transitional mess we   
all know and love. ^_^ Please let me know what you think with a review or an e-mail!   
(kaldea@tekken.cc) Yeah. I got a new pen name… =P *prays that the format isn't frooked up!*  
  



	6. Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** Despite all of my prayers and wishes, Namco owns all of these characters except for Lola.  
  


Part Six  


  
  
The day had passed with nothing short of interesting happening. Siegfried had mentioned that several new mercenaries were to come to the tavern the following day. That bit of news was what kept everyone on their toes working and kept them sane despite the incredibly soporific day.  
  
Kilik laid on the Western bed, his arms outspread to the sides and his coffee-brown eyes fixated on the ceiling above him. His thoughts, however, were on his journey---something he had put off to the side since he had arrived in Venice. Procrastination was not something favored by the elders of the Ling Sheng Su Temple. If the Edge Master were to learn of this...  
  
And his training...  
  
Nearly a week had passed since he had an hours-long training session. That brief spar he had with Siegfried and the wood chopping was the only "training" he had done. Kilik turned over onto his belly, burying his face into the downed pillow, cringing at the horrific picture of himself in a couple of months out of shape and several pounds overweight.  
  
*knock-knock*  
  
He turned his body, and thus his attention, to the door. That was strange. He wasn't expecting any visitors. "Come on in!" he called out.  
  
The door opened slowly with an echoing creak, and in stepped Seung Mi Na, much to his surprise. Initially, he had figured it to be Lola with her super-sweet delicacies and drinks. But he had absolutely no complaints about the former.  
  
"Hey, Mi Na."  
  
"Did I wake you?" she asked meekly, closing the door softly behind her.  
  
"Nope; I was just wide awake," he replied. Though he didn't object to her visit, he -did- find it strange that she came to see him at such a late hour. "Um. Something's up?" he asked her.  
  
"I came to talk to you," Mi Na answered while taking a seat at the very edge of his bed after he had given her the "go 'head". "I couldn't sleep."  
  
Kilik clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "So talking to me makes you sleepy?" he teased.  
  
"Mmhm."  
  
"I'm so hurt."  
  
Mi Na stifled a giggle with her hand. "You're weird."  
  
"Weird?" the handsome youth repeated questionably. "Hardly. I like to think of myself as different."  
  
"You're right about that." A smile that spoke many kind words spread across Mi Na's amiable face. "You're not like anyone I've ever met," she went on to say, shyly lowering her gaze to her sweat-laden palms.  
  
Kilik pulled his extended legs inward, folding them so that he can sit comfortably upright. "Not everyone's the same, Mi Na."  
  
"True. But most males I've ever met treat me remotely the same. Siegfried... Hwang... My father..." The Korean girl leaned back on her hands placed behind her on the matttress, feeling more and more comfortable with each passing moment in the presence of this innocent yet enigmatic young man. "You know," she continued, "If even half of the men in the world were like you, things would be a whole lot better for girls like me."  
  
Deciding that words weren't suitable for the moment, Kilik quit the discreet act; his agile figure slid along the thin sheets until he was right beside her. A shaking arm snaked about her lithe waist. What surprised Kilik, even more than the speed of his beating heart, was that Mi Na didn't reject his courageous advances; she didn't slap him or shy away. And for a moment, they sat there and simply stared at each other.  
  
That was, until Kilik decided to test the waters, so to speak. "Mi Na," he murmured softly, licking his dry lips. "Th--"  
  
Mi Na's index finger held his moving lips down, silencing him. "Oh, shush. You'll make me fall asleep with all of your talking."   
  
Her own, moistened lips replaced her finger on his.   
  
The moment lasted only a few seconds but to an astonished, wide-eyed Kilik, it was more like a few hours. When Mi Na pulled back from him with a pleased grin, he saw only psychedelic dots jumping about the room. "Good night, Kilik," he heard her say. He also heard her leave his bedroom as quietly as she came.  
  
Kilik, on the other hand, wasn't as collected as she. His eyes must have went five minutes without blinking, and his mouth...ten without closing. After the vivid display of colors doing things he never thought possible, he finally regained some control over his thoughts and collapsed onto his back upon the bed, staring at the ceiling again. Only this time, with a wide smile. "Wow..."  
  
  
  
  
"Can you hand me that plate over there?"  
  
"That one?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Here you go."  
  
"Thank you, Kilik," Lola replied, hastily bringing down a sharp knife onto a tomato, slicing it thinly and neatly. She had began to cook up yet another storm at the start of the morning. Siegfried had told her that several newcomers were on their way and she made it her duty to make sure if they decided not to stay for the services that her cooking was going to make them change their minds.  
  
"Can you take this to Mi Na?" She held a silver tray decorated with eggs, a flat bread-like cake and some smoked meat out to Kilik.  
  
It didn't take much to make the boy run errands, it seemed; because as soon as he took the tray and beamed, he was well on his way upstairs to Seung Mi Na's room. After arriving and noticing that the door to her room was left slightly open, he nudged the door ajar with his foot, as his hands were occupied. "Mi Na?" he asked loudly, poking his head into the room. There was no response.  
  
"Hey Mi Na!" he called out again. No response. Curiosity took over him and he soon found himself fully entering the room. "Mi Na, you'--" his words were trapped in his throat. Mi Na wasn't there. And what few supplies she had were gone as well. She had left, leaving white linen curtains to form waves in the gentle wind seeping in through the open window she probably escaped out of. Or maybe it was the door?  
  
Kilik didn't believe it. He didn't -want- to. He even went so far as to check behind the door, underneath the bed, the adjacent wash room---to no avail. The only thing he found was several sheets of paper on the mattress.  
  
"A good-bye letter?" he asked himself. He then carefully read:  
  
_Dear Kilik,   
I don't know if you'll ever read this but something inside of me inspired me to write this to you. Please read this thoroughly because I have some intimate and sincere thoughts expressed here. Right now, you're probably thinking: 'Where is Mi Na?'  
I couldn't stay at the lodge very long. It was a distraction.   
Don't get me wrong. I really, -really- enjoyed being with you. It made me feel independent and carefree, and most of all, happy. I haven't felt that way in a very long time. And I have you to thank.  
I'm now going to continue my search for the Sword of Salvation. When I find it and return home with it, I'll convey the news to you personally. The Ling Sheng Su Temple is near Tibet, right?  
I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't expect to make a connecti---yes, a connection with you, but I am relieved that I did. You treated me fairly and you overlooked the fact that I was a female.   
You're as sweet as sugar and I'm sure that Chinese Circus Girl misses you terribly. You should go to her and tell her your thoughts as you did to me. Xianghua will forgive you. She'd be stupid not to.  
Maybe we will cross paths again. Who knows? But if for some reason we will never meet up again, I just want you to know that I am glad that I met you.  
Goodbye.  
Forever sincere,  
Seung Mi Na.  
  
P.S.: I forgot to thank you for returning my earrings!  
  
_  
Kilik forced himself not to ball up the papers or cry. Closing his lips tightly, he folded the crinkly sheets of paper and stuffed them into his pockets. A shaky exhale escaped his dry lips. He couldn't believe she was gone. He was so close. So, so close to seeing if she was the one for him. And now she was so far away.  
  
He stared out of the open window. He weakly hoped that the letter was a mischievous prank and that Mi Na would be just outside of the lodge, ready to do some adventuring or talking with him. But she wasn't there. What was once the most beautiful city he had ever visited suddenly became the most dreadful place on Earth.   
  
He tilted his head back and opened his eyes, allowing a tear to roll down his face. "You're welcome, Mi Na."  
  
  


* * * *  
FINIS.  
  


**A/N:** Yeow! Finally finished! Hopefully, the format is not screwed.... Sorry about the way this chapter/story ended, but this is the result of me after spending Payday Night in Roppongi. Anyways, this is it. The end. I don't know if I'm going to continue this (sort of how I continued Emerald Earrings with this)---I don't think I will. I know some people are happy about that, heh. But I would like to thank each and every person who took the time to read this, write me a review and e-mail me their thoughts. I really appreciate your feedback. It helps me a whole damn lot, you know. =)


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